01. I could lift you up.

[thinkwisely]

Characters: Ivan and open
Setting: Dorm 2-08, Dorm Floor 2, Floor 69 (the cloud floor), and the Cafeteria
Format: starting with action, but I'll follow!
Summary: Just the usual newcomer shtick--waking up and trying to gather his bearings.
Warnings: Ivan has a bad habit of trying to mind read anyone and everyone he runs across if he thinks it'll get him the answers he wants faster than just asking--please make sure to let me know if this is or isn't okay! Otherwise, nothing.

Dorm Room 2-08

[The instant Ivan wakes, his mind begins to spin with questions. He couldn't remember lying down. When had he fallen asleep? Why couldn't he move? What was this strange white room? His brow knits in concern once he feels the ability to move once more, and sitting up, the blonde immediately starts to inspect the strange material he's clad in. Eventually, Ivan's hand comes to rest upon the collar affixed to his neck. He frowns.]

Huh...

[No, this definitely wasn't Tolbi. He was...somewhere else. But how had he been transported? And where exactly, for that matter? Ivan supposed that no such questions were ever answered in response to idle behavior, so he swings his legs over the side of his bed and stands.

Moments later, he's thoroughly inspected his trunk, relieved to find not only his traveling clothes and a few of the items he had been equipped with during the Colosso Tournament, but the Shaman's Rod nestled safely inside. With a sigh of relief, he picks it up after strapping his sword to his belt and storing his other items in his pockets. As it is, he doesn't want to leave the staff lying around out of his sight. Master Hammet would be rather upset if he lost it again, after all.]

I guess I should...oh!

[Ivan was just about to leave when he spotted the letters on the nightstand next to his bed. He darts back and grabs them, but not wanting to stay in the uncomfortably white room for much longer, he decides to read them as he explores.]

Dorm Floor 2

[Ivan's eyes scan through the letters fervently, his face becoming more and more troubled the further he reads. Likewise, his pace picks up to one of brisk agitation. Where he started off at least attempting to keep a solid awareness of his surroundings, he's soon so focused on the words on the paper that Ivan completely forgets to watch out for anyone else that may be walking nearby.

A full-on collision is becoming increasingly likely.]


Floor 69

[This floor is the first one that really catches Ivan's attention as he makes his way down as fast as he can manage. Maybe it was just because he was a Jupiter Adept (as he'd found out quite recently), but something about the large layer of clouds calms him drastically. Ivan sighs, his shoulders sagging in a relaxed fashion as he steps forward tentatively, onto the clouds.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad situation, after all. He'd find Isaac and Garet and Mia sooner or later and then they'd get back to finding the Elemental Stars.

For now, he could just...enjoy a moment of quiet serenity. Ivan smiles to himself, laughs a little, and plops eagerly down. It all seemed so simple and so manageable now. Really, he wasn't sure why he was getting so worked up in the first place.]


Cafeteria

[Once Ivan had gotten his wits about him once more, he went the rest of the way down to the Cafeteria without stopping, too wary of the rest of the floors to give in to any amount of curiosity. Sure, it wasn't pleasant to feel anxious...but Ivan would take feeling anxious to having clouded judgement (pun not intended) any day.

When he retrieves his bowl of oatmeal and finds a place to sit, he does so heavily (though he's at least considerate enough to lay the Shaman's Rod gently across his lap). Ivan doesn't want to eat--he isn't hungry--simply knows he should.

If only he could find the motivation to actually pick up the spoon and eat.]

Comments

I suppose I should warn for gore and general terrible right here. o/

[crouching_sin]

[Images of men and women dying of thirst and hunger flick through his mind, as well as images of people in the Tower turned against their friends.]

[But then there's a wall of pain, like a hammer blow.]

[A man staring down at him (her?), blood dripping from his mouth, a piece of metal stuck into his back before -

- staring up from a table while a man with a sharp knife descends on him and everything goes black -

- he opens his eyes and looks down at the stump of an arm, blood dripping from the wound. He vomits on his shoes before he looks up to see -]

[- nothing, because Naoya draws his hand back to slap the boy. He's not that physically strong, but he is annoyed, and he growls his next words.]

Get out of my head. Now. Don't ever do that again.

I lack appropriate terrified icons

[thinkwisely]

[Ivan doesn't scream. The sound is lost somewhere in the back of his throat. But in his surprise he drops his staff and begins stepping back hastily, hands shielding his head (and then clutching it in agony).

Naturally, he does as he's told. In fact, Ivan had snapped his mind closed quite quickly. It...it hurt! That had never happened before! Ever! He trips again, this time over his own feet, and falls backward out of the floor and onto the stairs.]

I'm sorry! Really! I-I'm sorry!

[His face twisted in alarm, fear, and horror, all Ivan can do is stare up.]

I won't! Ever again! I promise--I--I shouldn't have intruded! It was wrong of me!

[Perhaps his sincerity will be enough to spare him from getting a smack. But if it isn't, well, he can't exactly deny that he doesn't deserve it after making this man so mad after he had only been trying to help.]

Honestly there are no really appropriate icons for this. xD

[crouching_sin]

[He lowers his hand, and glares down at the boy, stepping onto the staircase as well.]

There are some things you don't want to see. And reading someone's mind without permission is extremely rude. You clearly have words. Use them to ask questions.

[thinkwisely]

[Those angry, accusing eyes burn holes into Ivan, and he finds himself biting down on his lip in shame. And then he's shaking even more. His voice comes out small now. Still earnest, but subdued.]

I...I lack self control...

[He really was a freak, wasn't he? Why had Isaac encouraged him? Garet had been right: this power just made people uncomfortable. It brought trouble. And now, back on the stairs, everything felt so much more clear once again. It only made Ivan anxious--because none of what was around him was good.

Ivan finds it difficult to bring his bright eyes up to look at the older man, but he does it anyway, lest he make an even worse first impression.]

I never meant to be rude...please, I humbly beg your forgiveness.

[crouching_sin]

[He reaches over and picks up the boy's staff, handing it to him. He shakes his head, and his expression softens.]

You do. I suppose that should be expected. Still, this isn't your world. You'll find that tricks like that are not unique to you, nor are they as effective on some people. And some can detect it easily, and some can fight back.

No permanent harm was done - to me, at least. It'll probably take a while for you to get that out of your head, though. Still... be careful.

Now, would you like to try that again, with words instead of your tricks?

[thinkwisely]

[When it's given back to him, Ivan cradles the Shaman's Rod to him as if it's made of glass.] I'll be sure to remember that. I...I've never met anyone who could...

[He shakes his head. He doesn't really have the words for what he's feeling. And it's not as if he needs to really explain, either. Instead, Ivan just stands, slowly and carefully.]

Yes. Ah...if you please...I'm just trying to come to understand exactly where it is I've ended up. What did you mean about messing with minds? Is it just this floor that has that capability?

[Ivan had the strong suspicion that it was more than that. Much, much more.]

[crouching_sin]

No. In addition to some of the monsters and all of the administrators, floor ninety-six, eighty-seven, forty-six, forty-four, thirty-four, and twenty-three - which doesn't seem to exist - seem to mess with your mind. In addition, floors thirty-one through thirty-six, fifty-two, eighty-four, ninety-one, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, and one hundred one all disable powers. Most levels are at least somewhat dangerous, and the only levels safe from monsters are the dormitory levels - usually.

I'm so sorry I took so long to reply; I was a bit burnt out after the event.

[thinkwisely]

((Buuuuut I'm going through now and tagging all my intro replies. If you'd rather just drop this thread since it's old, or handwave what happened for the rest of their conversation, I'd completely understand!))

That's...a great deal of floors...

[Ivan pinches the bridge of his nose with his free hand, trying to will away the pounding of his head that's both a result of his actions as well as his steadily re-rising dread.

He repeats the numbers over in his head. The blonde isn't quite sure if he'll be able to easily keep all of that information in his mind, but it seems terribly important, so he plans on doing his best.]

Thank you for your help--for all of it.

No worries.

[crouching_sin]

It is. There are very few safe places. This isn't a place for children - but as long as you're here you might as well help. There's a number of groups trying to resist the administrators - one of them in particular calls itself 'Pandora'.